1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to containers and fluid withdrawing assemblies for liquids, such as liquid cleaners and the like. More particularly, the present invention relates generally to bottles having an integral dip tube formed therein. In particular, the present invention relates to the connection of a trigger sprayer operable remotely to a bottle with a snap-on fitment and connection to an integral dip tube.
2. Description of the Related Art
Trigger sprayers are those types of sprayers that can be held in a single hand of the user and operated by the fingers of the user's hand to pump fluid from a container connected to the trigger sprayer. A prior art trigger sprayer typically includes a sprayer housing that contains a pump chamber and piston, and a sprayer fluid supply passageway that fluidly communicates a fluid inlet opening (sometimes also referred to as a “connector aperture”) with the pump chamber. The trigger sprayer further includes a finger operated trigger that actuates the pump piston. The manually manipulated trigger is mounted on the sprayer housing for pivoting movement by the fingers of the user's hand, the trigger being operatively connected to the pump piston of the trigger sprayer. Manual manipulation of the trigger operates the pump, which draws fluid from the container connected to the trigger sprayer and dispenses the fluid from the sprayer housing. A fluid discharge passageway or dip tube fluidly communicates the pump chamber with a sprayer fluid outlet that discharges fluid from the sprayer housing upon actuation of the pump piston. Finally, a nozzle assembly is often connected to the sprayer housing at the sprayer fluid outlet opening.
Various types of nozzle assemblies are known. A typical nozzle assembly is adjustable to provide different discharge patterns of the fluid dispensed from the sprayer housing. For example, the fluid can be dispensed in a stream or spray pattern, or as a foam.
A sprayer connector, adapted to secure the sprayer housing to the fluid container, is typically integrally formed with or otherwise coupled to the sprayer housing. As noted above, the sprayer connector includes a connector aperture therethrough that forms the inlet opening of the fluid supply passageway to the pump chamber of the sprayer housing. A dip tube is often sealingly coupled to the connector aperture. The dip tube extends through a neck of the container and into fluid contents of the container. The dip tube fluidly communicates the container with the fluid supply passageway of the sprayer housing.
A remote sprayer has the sprayer dispenser operable remotely from the container by way of a tube communicating the sprayer dispenser and the liquid within the container. For remote sprayers it may be advantageous to easily connect the sprayer and communicating tube to the container and to disconnect the sprayer and communicating tube from the container. With conventional dip tubes, some liquid is typically spilled when removing the dip tube and sprayer from the container. Since the container may often be refilled, it is useful to additionally be able to get the last amount of the prior liquid contents out of the container before adding fresh contents. It may also be important to get the last amount of liquid contents if the liquid has toxic properties, such an insecticide or herbicide, products commonly sold with a remote sprayer. Sprayer connectors with conventional dip tubes present problems. Warped dip tubes are currently a major problem in the pump/bottle assemblies with a resultant non-functioning dip tube or dip tube that no longer efficiently primes refilled contents. The elimination of the conventional dip tube may eliminate this major problem. Having a remote sprayer which mates to a container with a blown-in dip tube solves several problems of potential spillage and complete product usage.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,553,750 discloses a remote sprayer where the tube connecting the sprayer and the dip tube are one that the same. While this patent solves the problem of storing the tube connecting to the sprayer, it does nothing for potential spillage and complete product usage. U.S. Pat. No. 5,469,993 discloses a remote sprayer with a tube and fitting connection to a rigid internal dip tube. While this patent solves the problem of connecting the remote sprayer and connecting tube to the container dip tube, the connection is potentially unstable as it inherently can be removed by pulling, exactly the motion of stretching out the remote sprayer from the container. U.S. Pat. No. 6,367,665 discloses connecting a remote sprayer and flexible delivery tube to a container having an external dip tube, wherein the external dip tube is unattached to the top of the container and is oversized relative to the flexible delivery tube. U.S. Pat. No. 6,050,459 discloses a rigid dip tube connector for a trigger spray bottle having a threaded opening.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,863,071 discloses a pump and container assembly which includes a dip tube which is carried by the pump and extends through a customary circular cross sectional mouth of the container. The container includes an offset supply tube for carrying the liquid from the integral dip tube to the pump assembly. Furthermore, the pump assembly may be attached to the bottle via a screw cap, thereby requiring the offset supply tube to be properly aligned with the integral dip tube prior to screwing the cap to attach the pump assembly to the bottle. To assist in this alignment, an upstanding projection may be formed in the container to prevent twisting of the pump assembly relative to the container when the screw cap is tightened. The requirements of an upstanding projection and offset supply tube may result in additional manufacturing cost. Without such an upstanding projection, the torque of tightening the screw cap onto the bottle may misalign the integral dip tube from the offset supply tube.
As discussed above, many prior art trigger sprayers, including those useful with bottles having integral dip tubes, are connected to their containers by an internally threaded sprayer connector. To firmly secure the trigger sprayer on the container neck, the sprayer connector is positioned on the container neck and rotated. Complementary screw threading provided on the inner surface of the cap and the outer surface of the container neck securely attaches the trigger sprayer to the container. These containers require a two-step process for attaching the trigger sprayer to the container neck—a first step of aligning the dip tube with the trigger sprayer and a second step of screwing the trigger sprayer onto the container neck to form a seal.
Alternatively, many trigger sprayers are connected to a container with a bayonet sprayer connector, such as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 7,478,739, and incorporated in its entirety herein. Bayonet sprayer connectors are advantageously used where a trigger sprayer is connected to a container neck by a machine in an assembly line. Bayonet sprayer connectors of the prior art may be the well known “snap fit” type sprayer connectors that firmly attach the trigger sprayer on the container neck by merely positioning the sprayer housing above and in alignment with the container and, with the dip tube inserted through the open top of the container, pushing the trigger sprayer down on the container. Bayonet sprayer connectors typically use a standard dip tube, depending from the sprayer connector. Thus, the problems associated with standard dip tubes, as discussed above, may apply to the typical bayonet sprayer connectors currently in use.
Several prior art bayonet sprayer connectors are connected to complementary container necks by rotating the connector just a fraction of one complete revolution relative to the container neck. These types of bayonet sprayer connectors have two different movements to attach the sprayer connector on a container neck. The sprayer connector must be moved in a linear direction onto the container neck while also being rotated relative to the container neck. For bayonet connectors, the rotation of the sprayer connector relative to the container neck after alignment of the supply tube with the integral dip tube could create problems in maintaining that alignment and connection with the integral dip tube.
Accordingly, what is needed is a bottle, with an integral dip tube, having a trigger or pump assembly that attaches to the bottle without the alignment issues of prior art trigger sprayers.